Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
A afalse balance is an abomination to the Lord,
But a bjust weight is His delight.
2 When apride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.
3 The aintegrity of the upright will guide them,
But the bcrookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 aRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But brighteousness delivers from death.
5 The arighteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But bthe wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will abe caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked man dies, his aexpectation will perish,
And the bhope of strong men perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked takes his place.
9 With his amouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the brighteous will be delivered.
10 When it agoes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 He awho goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy bconceals a matter.
14 Where there is no aguidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
15 He who is aguarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.
16 A agracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
17 The amerciful man does himself good,
But the cruel man does himself harm.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who asows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 He who is steadfast in arighteousness will attain to life,
And bhe who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the ablameless in their walk are His bdelight.
21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a aring of gold in a swine’s snout
So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the aexpectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
25 The agenerous man will be prosperous,
And he who bwaters will himself be watered.
26 He who withholds grain, the apeople will curse him,
But bblessing will be on the head of him who csells it.
27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But ahe who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
28 He who atrusts in his riches will fall,
But bthe righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
29 He who atroubles his own house will binherit wind,
And cthe foolish will be servant to the wisehearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is aa tree of life,
And bhe who is wise wins souls.
31 If athe righteous will be rewarded in the earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A agood man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.
3 A man will anot be established by wickedness,
But the root of the brighteous will not be moved.
4 An aexcellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like brottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The awords of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the bmouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The awicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the bhouse of the righteous will stand.
8 A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse mind will be despised.
9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant
Than he who honors himself and lacks bread.
10 A arighteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
11 He awho tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.
12 The awicked man desires the booty of evil men,
But the root of the righteous byields fruit.
13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the arighteous will escape from trouble.
14 A man will be asatisfied with good by the fruit of his words,
And the bdeeds of a man’s hands will return to him.
15 The away of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
16 A afool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent man conceals dishonor.
17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who aspeaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the btongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a alying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 aNo harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 aLying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A aprudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be aput to forced labor.
25 aAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a bgood word makes it glad.
26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 A lazy man does not roast his prey,
But the aprecious possession of a man is diligence.
28 aIn the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
A awise son accepts his father’s discipline,
But a bscoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of a man’s mouth he aenjoys good,
But the desire of the treacherous is bviolence.
3 The one who aguards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who bopens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
5 A righteous man ahates falsehood,
But a wicked man bacts disgustingly and shamefully.
6 Righteousness aguards the one whose way is blameless,
But wickedness subverts the sinner.
7 There is one who apretends to be rich, but has nothing;
Another pretends to be bpoor, but has great wealth.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.
9 The alight of the righteous rejoices,
But the blamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Through insolence comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But the one who gathers by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The one who adespises the word will be in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be brewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a afountain of life,
To turn aside from the bsnares of death.
15 aGood understanding produces favor,
But the way of the treacherous is hard.
16 Every aprudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool displays folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity,
But aa faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who aneglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.
19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
20 aHe who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21 aAdversity pursues sinners,
But the brighteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
22 A good man aleaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the bwealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 aAbundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
But it is swept away by injustice.
24 He who awithholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him bdisciplines him diligently.
25 The arighteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
But the stomach of the bwicked is in need.